Ice Merchants
Directed byJoão Gonzalez
Written byJoão Gonzalez
Produced byBruno Caetano
Michael Proença
Production
companies
Cola
Wild Stream
Distributed byCinemundo
Release date
2022
Running time
14 minutes
CountriesPortugal
United Kingdom
France

Ice Merchants is a 2022 animated short film directed by João Gonzalez.[1] The 14-minute short about family love is the first ever Portuguese animation to be awarded at the Cannes Film Festival,[2] where it premiered as part of the 2022 Critics' Week (Semaine de la Critique).[3] The film has been featured in a number of international film festivals, receiving accolades such as the Gold Hugo award for Best Animated Short at the Chicago International Film Festival[4] and won over nine awards in festivals and a nomination for the 95th Academy Awards in the category of Best Animated Short Film.[5][6]

Plot

Every day, a father and his son jump with a parachute from their house on a cliff to go to the village, where they sell ice. While falling, they always lose their matching hats, and they buy themselves new ones while in town. They then return to their house through the use of a pulley system, where they spend time together and bond. The boy's mother has passed away some time ago, but her presence is still on the mind of the father and son, whether by her unused mug or her empty space in the bed.

One morning, the temperature is so warm that there is no ice to sell, and melting snow falls heavily on the house, breaking it away from the cliff. The backpack with the parachute falls away, leaving the father and son stranded. Realizing that they have no chance for survival, the father holds the son tightly and jumps from the collapsing house. On the way down, they are met by a vision of the mother, who holds on to the pair and pulls her own parachute.

The father and son miraculously land on the massive pile of hats that have accumulated on the forest floor below the house and are saved. They walk off to the village, taking a hat for the son along the way.

Reception

Since its release, the film has been selected in various festivals around the world:

Year Festivals Award/Category Status
2022 Cannes International Film Festival Leitz Cine Discovery Prize[2][3] Won
Toronto International Film Festival IMDbPro Short Cuts Award for Best Film[7][8] Nominated
Melbourne International Film Festival Best Animated Short Film[9] Won
Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo for Best Animated Short[4] Won
European Film Awards Animated European Short Film[10] Nominated
Valladolid International Film Festival Golden Spike for Best Short Film Nominated
Silver Spike for Best Short Film[11] Won
Green Spike Special Mention for Best Short Film[11] Won
Vila Do Conde International Short Film Festival Best Film National Competition[12] Won
Audience Award International Competition[12] Won
2023 Academy Awards Best Animated Short[13] Nominated
Annie Awards Best Animated Short Subject Won
Quirino Awards Best Ibero-American Short Film[14] Nominated
Best Visual Development Won
Best Animation Design Nominated
Best Sound Design and Original Music Nominated

References

  1. ^ ""Ice Merchants" the short film by João Gonzalez". Cartoni Online. 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  2. ^ a b Lang, Jamie (2022-06-01). "'Ice Merchants' Awarded Cannes' Critics' Week Prize For Short Film". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  3. ^ a b Duncan, Keltie (2022-08-23). "9 Animated Shorts That Are Oscar Hopefuls For 2023". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  4. ^ a b "58th Chicago International Film Festival announces award winners – Reel Chicago News". 23 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  5. ^ Magazine, Animation (2022-10-21). "Oscar Watch 2023: The Long Shorts List". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  6. ^ "2023 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  7. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-08-17). "TIFF Short Cuts Lineup Counts 39 Titles Including The Alfonso Cuaron Produced 'Le Pupille'". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  8. ^ "'The Flying Sailor', 'Ice Merchants' the animated short films of TIFF". Cartoni Online. 2022-08-28. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  9. ^ I.Faleye (2022-08-11). "Melbourne International Film Festival Announces Winners of 2022 MIFF Shorts Awards". VIMooZ. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  10. ^ Lang, Jamie (2022-10-20). "European Film Awards 2022: Five Animated Features And Three Shorts Score Nominations". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  11. ^ a b Sandoval, Pablo (2022-11-01). "'Return To Dust,' 'The Quiet Girl,' 'Eo' Win Big at Spain's Valladolid Festival". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  12. ^ a b "Premiados do Curtas de Vila do Conde - Notícias". ICA. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  13. ^ "2023 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  14. ^ "Todos los ganadores de los Premios Quirino 2023". Escribiendo Cine (in Spanish). 13 May 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.

External links

Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject
Categories